Oran Park: TeamVodafone preview

TeamVodafone on verge of first V8 Supercar championship
TeamVodafone is on the verge of
scoring its maiden V8 Supercar Championship title as the season comes to
a close this weekend. Jamie Whincup will enter the NRMA Motoring &
Services Grand ...

TeamVodafone on verge of first V8 Supercar championship

TeamVodafone is on the verge of
scoring its maiden V8 Supercar Championship title as the season comes to
a close this weekend. Jamie Whincup will enter the NRMA Motoring &
Services Grand Finale as favourite, currently enjoying a buffer of 233
points over second place. The winner of six rounds this season, including
a current streak of four dominant wins in a row, Whincup's lead could
see him secure the championship as early as Saturday's opening 46-lap
race. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a flawless run in the second-half of the
season, taking the highest or equal-highest points haul from every event
since Winton at the beginning of August. He has vowed to do what it takes
to get the job done as early as possible this weekend in order to secure
both the driver's championship as well as helping Triple Eight to
score its first team's championship.

"I'm very excited about this
weekend, I still can't believe we're already at the final round of this
year's championship," said Whincup. "It has been a tough year and I feel
like I need a break, but on the other hand it has been so much fun. "For
me, this weekend is all about scoring the necessary 68 points. The only
change to my approach is that I am a little more nervous than usual, but
that's probably understandable, given the circumstances.

"This is the real
deal - this is what I've worked my whole career to achieve."

Whincup will
enter the event with 3,208 points next to his name, and only needs to
accumulate 68 points across the course of the entire weekend to be
assured of the title. Craig Lowndes is gunning for another podium finish
after sharing the celebratory spray of champagne with his teammate for
the past two rounds. Lowndes has played an integral role in the team's
most successful season to date and is aiming to finish off the year, and
the last ever V8 Supercar race at Oran Park, on a high note.

"We head into
Oran Park as the form team of the competition, everything is working well
for TeamVodafone at the moment," said Lowndes. "Everyone has stepped it up
a level and as a result we've enjoyed some fantastic results in the past
few rounds. "It's exciting to know that we are not only just a few races
away from Jamie taking the driver's championship, that we are also in the
box seat for the team's championship as well.

"It will be sad to see Oran
Park host its last V8 race. It's a fantastic layout, unlike any other
permanent circuit in Australia, and it will certainly be missed next
year."

The three-time champion is still in with a mathematical shot at
third place in the title race this weekend, currently fourth on 2619
points.